European and American cuisine

Chestnut Sauce in Butter. — Boil 1 pound of chestnuts 15 minutes in water ; drain, peel, skin, and return them to the fire, cover with water ; add 1 teaspoonful sugar, and boil till tender, then drain. Melt Ys ounce butter in a saucepan, add the chestnuts, cook 10 minutes ; toss them well, and serve as a garnish. Chestnut Puree a la Creme— Boil 1 pound of large chestnuts in water 15 minutes ; peel and skin them, wash in cold water ; place with 1 quart milk over the fire, add Y^ tablespoonful sugar^ and boil till^ tender ; then rub them through a sieve, and use for stuffing pigeons, partridges, and birds. This puree is also largely used for frozen puddings. Spinach Border with Calf's Brain.— Place Vt peek of wellwashed spinach in a kettle ; cover with boiling water, add Y^ tablespoonful salt, and boil five minutes ; drain in colander, and press out all the water ; then chop the spinach very fine. Place a saucepan with a large tablespoonful butter over the fire, add one heaping tablespoonful fiour, stir and cook 2 minutes ; add Ys pint of milk, Ys teaspoonful salt, Ya teaspoonful white pepper, and the same of nutmeg ; add the spinach, stir and cook 3 minutes, then remove from fire. When cold, add Ys pint of white grated bread crumbs, the yolks of 4 eggs, Yt pint of whipped cream, and last the beaten whites; mix all together. Lay a piece of buttered paper in the bottom of a well-buttered border form, fit it in neatly, fill in the mixture, smooth the top with a knife, and set the border in a pan of water (let the water reach Ys up the form) ; cover with buttered paper, and bake in a medium-hot oven till firm to the touch. In the meantime prepare the calf's brain: Soak two sets of calf's brain several hours in cold water, changing the water 3 times ; then place them in a saucepan, covered with fresh cold water, add 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 1 teaspoonful salt, 1 bay leaf, 6 whole peppers, and one small whole onion ; cook slowly 10 minutes ; remove and cool the brains in cold water. Melt 2 ounces of butter in a saucepan, cut the brains into slices, and cook light brown ; then turn the spinach border on to a dish, remove the paper, put the brains in center, pour over a hot bechamel sauce, garnish the top of border with quarters of hard-boiled eggs, and serve. In place of brains sweetbread may be taken. MACARONI AND NOODLES. Macaroni au Gratin. — Break Yt pound Italian macaroni into pieces, place them in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, add y, tablespoonful salt, and boil 30 to 35 minutes ; then drain ; grate 4 ounces Parmesan or Swiss cheese, return the macaroni to the saucepan, add half the cheese, 2 ounces butter, and Ys teaspoonful white pepper ; toss the saucepan for a few minutes over the fire ; mix well together, then put the macaroni into a dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese, and pour 7g ounce melted butter over the top ; place the dish in a hot oven, and bake till light brown, about 10 minutes ; then serve in the same dish.